Glendale in Henrico County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Willis Church Parsonage

The Confederates Move Toward Malvern Hill

—Malvern Hill Battleﬁeld – Richmond Nat'l Battleﬁeld Park —

By Bill Coughlin, April 24, 2007

1. Willis Church Parsonage Marker

Inscription. Frustrated by his failure at Glendale, Robert E. Lee gathered his army on July 1, 1862, for a final effort to destroy the Union army. But on this day, unlike his previous efforts during the Seven Days, Lee did not have a Union flank or a strung-out marching column to attack. Before him stood the powerful Union rear guard, arrayed on the plateau of Malvern Hill, about a half mile in front of you.

The Willis Church parsonage (the ruins behind you) became an important landmark on July 1. Before the attacks, division commander D.H. Hill met with his officers near the house. Colonel W. Gaston Meares of North Carolina was killed by a shell in the yard. Confederate artillery attempted to take position in nearby fields. Lee watched from a blacksmith shop that stood across the Willis Church from you.

Erected by Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, Inc.

Location. 37° 25.118′ N, 77° 14.827′ W. Marker is in Glendale, Virginia, in Henrico County. Marker is on Willis Church Road 0.2 miles from Carter Mills Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is located in the Malvern Hill Battlefield Unit of the Richmond National Battlefield Park. Marker is in this post office area: Henrico VA 23231, United States of America.

More about this marker. The bottom left of the marker contains a picture of the Willis Church Parsonage with the caption, “The Parsonage, as it appeared in 1885, was the home of the pastor of the Willis Church. On July 1, 1862, the house stood in plain view of the Union artillery on Malvern Hill. Fire destroyed the parsonage in 1988. (Drawing from Battles and Leaders.) Next to this is a picture of the church with the caption, “The Willis Church is shown here as it appeared shortly after the war. For weeks after the battles in this area the church served as a field hospital. The current church stands on the site of the wartime structure, about a mile north of here. (Drawing from Battles and Leaders.) The right of the

By Bill Coughlin, April 24, 2007

3. Malvern Hill Hiking Trail Map from Marker

marker features a map of a hiking trail of the Malvern Hill Battlefield that passes the site of the marker. It has a caption of “From here a 2 mile trail leads to Malvern Hill, tracking the route of Confederate attacks during the last of the bloody Seven Days battles. The map depicts the open and wooded areas as they appeared in 1862.”

Also see . . . 1. Malvern Hill. CWSAC Battle Summaries. (Submitted on January 1, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.)

The marker is located in front of the ruins of the Willis Church Parsonage.

By Bill Coughlin, April 24, 2007

6. Willis Church Parsonage

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on January 1, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,367 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on January 1, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. 2. submitted on March 28, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 3. submitted on January 1, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. 4. submitted on April 1, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 5, 6. submitted on January 1, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.